Surviving With You
by Shining-Dreamer
Summary: The Lights and Darks are separated from their counterparts after accepting a generous offer. They find themselves on different parts of a continent with people they thought they hated. Will they survive and adapt to these new life change?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Okay. Besides the little scene I had written for my sister (ll Kairi ll ) in one of her stories, this is going to be my first fanfic with Yugi-Oh. So, I'm sorry for any mistakes I make with the characters and any grammar mistakes I may miss. If you feel like I did something wrong, please, go ahead and tell me 'cause I really want to fix them ASAP. I'd reaaally appreciate it!_

_Enjoy!_

**Summary:** The Lights and Darks are separated from their counterparts after accepting a generous offer from Kaiba Seto. They find themselves on different parts of a continent with people they thought they hated. Will they survive and adapt to these new life changes, or will they all spontaneously combust from the light/dark within?

**Disclaimer**: Dudes and dudits, I do NOT own Yugi-Oh nor do I gain any profits from this other than feeling awesome from the reviews I receive. :]

**Warning**: YAOI, meaning menxmen and such, BakuraxYugi and YamixRyou, language, mature intent, OCC-ness (personalities are backwards! Lights and Darks' personalities are reversed and such-ish!)

Surviving With You

"So let me get this straight… We're inside… Doing school work… On a glorious sunny afternoon in the Summer… Because you think it'd be _fun_?" Bakura, Ryou's on and off boyfriend (they were currently on this week, if you were by any chance curious), exasperatedly asked, sitting at one corner of the table with his head tucked in his arms down on the surface of the table. He looked pretty annoyed by this.

Yugi glanced to his friend Ryou, sending the English boy a sympathetic look as said boy sighed.

"You could always go watch some Telly if you're bored, Bakura," Ryou said, the soft-spoken male sighing again as he turned the page in his English IV textbook.

"I don't want to," the teen grouchily grumbled, glaring at nothing but the table space before him.

"Well, then don't complain."

"Watch your mouth when you're talking to me," Bakura snapped, growling lowly at his other in obvious agitation.

"Excuse me? I was merely giving you an option to pick from so that you didn't have to sit here with us and be bored."

"Ah..." Yugi bit his lower lip, glancing at Ryou again. He really hated sitting in the middle of these two. They always got into pitiless arguments that could have been dealt with fairly easily if they had only just talked nicely to each other. But there was a reason why the two were always in a on and off relationship. They were just too different. Some relationships worked when the people involved were like Yin and Yang, but it was clearly not working out with the two silver heads.

"Quit your bickering, the both of you. You're upsetting Yugi."

Said tri-colored haired teen had to hold back rolling his eyes in anger. He glanced up to see his own boyfriend (though their relationship was a little more… complicated than the on-off situation) into the dining room, an unpleasant look being pointed at the silver-heads. 'They're not upsetting me,' Yugi wanted to say, but he held back the urge to. He didn't want to have some kind of confrontations with his boyfriend in front of anyone. It was bad enough that Bakura and Ryou were having a small one at that very moment.

Bakura glared up at Yami, a sneer on his lips. "Shut it, Pharaoh. If the punk has a problem, then let him speak up for himself or he'll never learn."

Yugi looked at the guy in wonderment, but frowned when he heard Yami say," he won't need to, Thief," Yami spat that name out as if it were poison. "Unlike you, I will always be there for my hikari."

"Why you-," Bakura made movement to stand up, making Yugi's and Ryou's eyes widen as they looked at each other in panic. "Are you trying to imply-."

"U-uhm, why don't we go down to the park, hm?" Ryou and Yugi both clattered to their feet, Ryou swiftly interrupting his boyfriend just in time.

"Y-yeah. Looks like we could all use some fresh air." Yugi nervously glanced between Yami and Bakura, fidgeting with his hands down at his sides. "We could also, uhm… Have a… Picnic?"

"Yes, Yugi! That's a marvelous idea!" Ryou snatched at Yugi's idea quite giddily, ready to let everything blow over. "Come, Bakura! Help me with the packing of the basket!" He grabbed the other silver-haired teen's wrist, then whisked them both to the kitchen, leaving the other two alone in the dining room.

Anxiously, Yugi looked at Yami. "It's not nice to be rude to Bakura in his own home, Yami," He scolded quietly, watching the older teen look back at him.

Crossing his arms against his chest, Yami scowled back at Yugi, though as slight as it was it still made Yugi cringe a little. "What? Are you siding with _that_ baka now?" He testily asked.

"Of course not," Yugi answered quickly, eyes slightly wider than before. He shook his head, then said," no, Yami, I'm not siding with anyone. There's no reason to side with anyone. It's just rude to be so impolite to one of our… hosts…" He trailed off at the end of that sentence at the way the older teen's eyes narrowed. Not good. Did he make him mad? "A-ah, I think I'll go help with making the food for our picnic. U-uhm, would you mind, you know, waiting for us in… The living room?"

"Hn." Yami looked away, exhaling in a long sigh. He dropped his arms down to his sides, "Sure."

Yugi gave the Pharaoh a small smile, then watched the older male walk out of the room and out of his sight. Once he was gone, Yugi let out a sigh of relief. That was close. He clasped a hand to his chest and sighed once more, trying to slow down his racing heart. He didn't know if Yami knew this, but the guy scared him like crazy. He was just so intimidating without even trying or meaning to that it made Yugi feel inferior to him, making him unable to speak for himself. Which in turn made him, Yugi, look weak in comparison. It was probably what made Yami feel the need to take care of him as if he were a child, but it was… over-whelming to Yugi. Yami's protectiveness was suffocating him. Yugi didn't know how much longer he would last before someone, most likely himself, snapped. Snapped from insanity, probably.

"Hey, Runt." Yugi jumped in startle and whirled around to face the door that lead to the kitchen, finding Bakura standing there with his arms folded against his chest and his narrowed eyes on the younger of the two. "Are you just gonna stand there all day or come and help? Or were you lying to Pharaoh about helping?" He raised a brow challengingly.

"S-sorry!" Yugi squeaked in apology, clasping his hands against his stomach as he quickly stumbled towards the silver-haired teen. "I wasn't lying! Promise. I was just on my way."

"Really?" Bakura eyed him, then watched as the midget rushed past him. "You need to grow a backbone, Runt," he called after him, shaking his head. "And quit apologizing already!"

Yugi quickly stepped into the kitchen with meek movements, finding Ryou standing at the fridge with the two doors open. "R-Ryou?"

"Hm?" The English boy turned his head and glanced over his shoulder, smiling at seeing the tri-colored haired teen. "Ah, Yugi. Just in time! What would you like to bring with us to the park?" He asked kindly.

"Uhm… I'm not sure. Anything is fine." Yugi answered with a shrug, walking over to the counter where the picnic basket had been left at. "What have y'all gotten out so far?" He peered over the edge to look into the basket, curiosity taking him over.

"Ah, nothing much, unfortunately." Ryou answered with a sigh. "We all have such different tastes when it comes to food…"

"Oh…" Yugi eyed the Oreos and the three bananas in the case, then glanced towards his friend, a small smile sliding onto his face. "Do you have peanut butter? And bread? We can make peanut butter sandwiches and slice bananas to put on them. And pickles if you have any." He shrugged, a slight blush covering his cheeks. "I like pickles on mine and I think I remember Bakura saying something about liking bananas on his, right?" He watched in pride as Ryou smiled brilliantly at him, nodding his head in agreement.

"You're right, Yugi!" He said, turning back to the fridge to pull out the needed condiments. "What does Yami like, Yugi? I don't suppose he likes pickles on his, too?"

"Ah, no." Yugi quickly shook his head, smiling small. "He just likes regular peanut butter sandwiches."

"That's fine." Ryou chuckled and snatched the jelly from its spot on a shelf in the fridge. "It so happens that I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on mine." With the jars in his arms, Ryou kicked the door shut and turned around, placing the jars onto the island counter. He glanced at Yugi and asked," would you mind getting the peanut butter and bread from the pantry, Yugi?"

"Ah, s-sure!" Yugi quickly nodded, then trotted to the said little room. The pantry was half filled with shelves for canned foods and bread and such while the other half was used for the laundry, the washer machine and dryer standing side by side to the right. He made a quick assessment of the shelves, then found the peanut butter jar on one shelf closest to him and the bread real high on another shelf. After grabbing the peanut butter, Yugi attached his eyes to the sight of the sleeve of bread and sighed irritably. Why did they have to have things so high up for? Really?

"Freakin' tall people and their urges for high places..." He muttered, unthinkingly placing a foot on one of the bottom shelves to get at a higher vantage point. He reached up with his free hand so that he could grab the bread, but, still, he was too short. What was with everyone wanting to keep things so high up, anyways? Did they do this on purpose to make Yugi feel shorter than he already was? Geez. He rose up onto his tip-toes to inch on up there, and he was neaaarly there, the tips of his fingers brushing the plastic bag that held the bread-

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Ah!" Yugi yelped from startle, accidently kicking off the shelf he was on, and he fell backwards.

"What the-?" The person who startled him tried to catch him, but, together, they crashed onto the floor with Yugi on top.

"Oww…" Yugi peeked his eyes open and looked up at the top shelf where the bread was still at. "Aw, man…" Then his eyes widened incredibly when two slender arms were wrapped around his waist. "Wha-?"

"What the hell was that for, Runt?" An irritable voice asked from beneath him, causing Yugi to automatically start apologizing like crazy. Bakura sat the two of them up, still holding onto Yugi's waist as the teen babbled:

"Aw, geez, Bakura, I'm so sorry! I was trying to reach for the bread-I didn't mean to fall on you! I-you-you just scared me! Why'd you come in without saying anythi-are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Yugi, frantically babbling away still, turned around some in Bakura's hold, his eyes wide with worry and fear. "Did you hit your head? Are you okay?" Still clutching the jar in one hand close to his stomach, Yugi reached behind Bakura with his free hand and ran gentle fingers at the back of the silver-haired teen's head. "Did you hit it hard? Do you want some ice? I'm so sor-."

A hand was clapped over Yugi's mouth as Bakura glared at him. "Shut it." He hissed dangerously at the teen, eyes narrowed into slits. When Yugi's eyes widened and he nodded a bit to show that he wouldn't say anything more, Bakura moved his hand down and grabbed the teen's chin. "Why are you so clumsy?" He asked quietly, leaning forward some to let it be known how annoyed he was by this event. "Whether outside or inside, you are always hurting yourself. Why? Do you like being so vulnerable, little Yugi?"

"A-uh, I-," Yugi stammered over his words, glancing away nervously. Their position was extremely awkward, making him even more nervous than before. Bakura had an arm still around his waist, he held Yugi's chin in his fingers, and Yugi himself was sitting sideways on Bakura's lap.

"Yugi? Is everything alright? I heard a crash-," Ryou came rushing in, but stopped in his tracks at the sight on the floor. Yami came in after him and froze, just like Ryou, and he stared, his eyes flaring up into a glare. "What's going on in here?" Ryou demanded.

Bakura let Yugi's chin go as he looked up with a suddenly indifferent expression. "I'm getting increasingly pissed off at the Runt's incapability to not be clumsy." He stated with a straight face, uncaring really.

"S-so-sorry!" Yugi stumbled over the word, stressing out. He looked up at Yami and Ryou frantically, biting his lower lip. "I fell when he came in-I didn't mean to!"

"If it was really an 'accident', then why the hell are you still sitting on him?" Yami demanded, stepping further into the room to reach out and grab Yugi by the collar, yanking him up to his feet and pulling him away from Bakura.

Yugi didn't know what to say to that, but, luckily for him, Ryou was verbally attacking his boyfriend now, glaring mildly at him. "I'm sure it was Bakura's doing that Yugi was still there. Dammit, Baka, what is up with you today?" He grabbed one of his boyfriend's hands and helped him up to his feet, though Bakura looked annoyed by it. He looked pretty comfortable sitting there on the tiled floor. "You're being awfully rude today!"

"It's not _my_ fault if the runt can't stand on his own two feet." Bakura grumbled under his breath while shoving his hands into his pockets. Then he abruptly turned and stalked out of the pantry, shoving Yami in the shoulder on the way out. "Are we going to go to the park, or not? I have better things I could be doing rather than be in the presence of idiots," he hissed at them as he left.

Yugi watched the teen stalk off, then he turned his head to his own boyfriend, his eyes huge. Yami looked back at him with a dead-pan look. Neither knew what to say to the other and both were waiting for them to say something.

Yami was the first to speak up. He walked towards the shelves and plucked the bread from the high shelf. Turning back to the other two, he dropped the package into Yugi's free hand, saying," be careful next time. You can't let your guard down even for a second, Yugi. Remember that."

Yugi mutely nodded, then watched as the ex-Pharaoh walked out of the pantry, leaving Yugi and Ryou alone in the pantry. Turning to the silver-haired teen, Yugi gave him an extremely apologetic look, sincerest to the max. "Gods above, Ryou, I am so sorry," he started, feeling ready to cry. Damn, he felt like an utter failure. It made him think, how many people did it take to get peanut butter and bread from the pantry...? "I just made a huge mess and I'm-."

"No, Yugi, you didn't make a mess." Ryou shook his head at his friend, giving the younger teen a forgiving look as he placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Come on, hm? Let's get these sandwiches made."

Yugi merely nodded again and followed silently after his friend out of the pantry and to the kitchen island. Out there, he noticed that Ryou had already put utensils in all of the jars so that they were ready to use at any time. With a dejected look on his face, Yugi placed the jar of peanut butter and the package of bread onto the counter besides everything else. He silently wondered how much time he'd wasted in the pantry while trying to reach for the bread. But, did it matter, really? The time he spent in there was already wasted; there was no going back and rewinding time to speed things up.

Shaking his head from those strangely negative thoughts, Yugi stepped up besides Ryou and started helping him make the sandwiches. They made two for each person and a few extra ones just in case. They were all growing boys, after all, and teenage boys at that. Who knew how hungry they'd be by the time they got to the park?

The two made the sandwiches, grabbed extra foods and drinks to add to the basket, then they walked to the living room with Yugi holding onto the basket. He was barely able to lift it any higher than his waist, it was so darn heavy. But he managed to carry to the room, following Ryou there and finding their two boyfriends sitting on opposite couches, staring evilly at the other.

"We're ready to go now, guys, if you're done glaring at each other like morons." Ryou stated as he stopped in the middle of the two staring, getting into their ways and crossing his arms against his chest. He looked the least bit exasperate at the two guy's idiotic "macho" staring contest, or whatever they wanted to call it. Seriously. Why did they act like such children?

Yugi stood slightly to the left behind Ryou, staring at the other two guys with wide-ish eyes. He was thinking along the lines of Ryou, but kept his thoughts to himself. Unlike Ryou, Yugi didn't want to start a confrontation.

Yami looked up at the two standing with slight annoyance crossing his features, the same as Bakura's expression as he, too, looked up. Neither said a word, though, as they stood up. And Yami, after noticing Yugi struggling to keep the basket from slipping from his hands, reached over and snatched the basket from the shorter male's hands.

"If we're ready, then let's go already," Bakura muttered, grabbing Ryou's elbow and literally dragging the teen after him as he stalked towards the front door.

Yugi, looking towards Yami, gave him a slight smile. There was an urge to grab his boyfriend's hand as they walked out, but Yugi hid it at the look of annoyance on his lover's face. Maybe now wasn't the time to be doing that sort of thing…

_TBC_

_A/N: So? What do y'all think? Not much in the first chapter because I just wanna start off as slow, ya know? Ease my way in, considering I'm not very comfortable with all of their personalities as of yet. ^-^ So! Let me know what y'all think! No guarantee as of when the next chapter'll be out. xD lol Just be patient~ ;D_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here I am, again! :D

Chappie Two! xD

**Summary:** The Lights and Darks are separated from their counterparts after accepting a generous offer from Kaiba Seto. They find themselves on different parts of a continent with people they thought they hated. Will they survive and adapt to these new life changes, or will they all spontaneously combust from the light/dark within?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Yugi or any other characters. xD If anything, if I were to own something, we all know it'd be Naruto. ;D But, we all know that I am not that brilliant. T^T I am not Kishimoto. xD SOOO, I do not own either. w

**Warning**: YAOI, meaning menxmen and such, BakuraxYugi and YamixRyou, language, mature intent, OCC-ness (personalities are backwards! Lights and Darks' personalities are reversed and such-ish!)

Surviving With You

Just as Bakura had said earlier, today was indeed a glorious day. There wasn't a cloud in sight, the sun was shining down on everyone, and birds were singing and chirping to another just as happily as one can be. What irritated Ryou about their present moment, however, was the fact that his so called 'boyfriend' would not let his elbow go as their little group of four walked down the sidewalks of Domino, heading for the nearest park. He knew that Bakura was in a typically bad mood, but what was with him and leading him about as if he were a mule? Was he not a Human being who could walk on his own? Was he not equal, in a sense, to Bakura? It was a no wonder that they were never able to stay in a relationship long enough to do anything with another-Bakura never gave him the chance to decide things on his own!

Speaking of decisions, Ryou glanced over his shoulder to his two friends following them along. Yugi's relationship with Yami seemed to be the exact opposite. Or, rather, perhaps they were similar? Yugi clearly wanted to do the same as Ryou-make decisions on his own, but Ryou could see the problem with Yami-the older teen was trying his hardest to keep Yugi from getting hurt. Everyone knew that Yami was a dedicated and loyal boyfriend, but sometimes he was just too determined to keep Yugi away from harm's way. He wouldn't let the kid make mistakes and learn from them-it was more like a parent and child relationship between the two rather than lovers/boyfriends. It was too… strained, in a way.

They loved each other dearly; Ryou could undoubtedly see that, but their love for another… It was more of a brotherly love. Nothing more, nothing less. And he didn't know how to… get them to see that. It'd be too awkward, and, knowing Yami, Ryou knew that he would take offense to what was best for them both. Or, let's revise that, Yami would take offense if Ryou were to let his opinion be known to the two. It would only cause problems and it would probably cause a drift in their friendships.

Glancing straight ahead at the back of Bakura's head, Ryou let his face show a look of utter frustration.

Yugi may hate the-, let's say, 'pampering' that Yami showers him with, but Ryou couldn't deny that he was slightly… _jealous _of him to an extent. Bakura… He showed affection every now and then in his own way when people weren't watching, but it just wasn't _enough_. Ryou found himself yearning for Bakura to treat him the way Yami could be treating Yugi if it weren't for their parent-child-like relationship. But what could he do? He wasn't about to go around upsetting his friends. Sure, he wasn't afraid of Bakura and his wrath-not like he used to be anyways, but he just didn't have it in him to hurt Yugi in the process of showing him that Yami wouldn't see him as anything but as a brother.

Then again… Ryou sighed. His thoughts probably sounded shallow. Was he a bad person for wanting something more, for wanting something that would mean heartache for his dear friends? Would Yugi feel heartache if ever Yami decided to give up on what wasn't meant to be?

Oh, crap, yeah, that really did sound shallow. Or... Petty.

Damn, now he was just confusing himself.

"Yami..?"

Ryou held the urge to glance over his shoulder again at the sound of Yugi's whispering voice. The younger teen sounded hesitant. But that had become normal in the past few months when they had come out as boyfriends. But what happened between them to make him grow so shy around Yami? Something must have happened because he was never this timid in the presence of Yami before the time they had started dating. Whatever happened, it made their relationship more strained, which was probably the only reason Ryou had become so… Involved, so observant and aware with how their relationship truly was.

"Yeah, Yugi?"

"Uhm… I-uh, I can hold the basket if you'd like…"

"It's fine. I've got it."

"But-, uhm, okay."

Ahead, Ryou heard Bakura scoff. He'd been listening just as Ryou had, though it wasn't like they couldn't hear the other couple's voices. They were in the same group, all walking close together. It was hard _not_ to hear each other. What was surprising, however, was that Bakura didn't try to snipe at the ex-Pharaoh or anything like he normally does.

Ryou eyed the back of his boyfriend's head suspiciously. What was he planning? Was he up to something? It was hard to tell…

"Oi! Guys! I see ya, ya better slow the fuck down!" A teasing, obnoxiously loud voice sliced through the peaceful air, causing the group of four to stop in their tracks and look to their lefts. Across the street in front of the comic bookstore stood Joey waving like a maniac just coming out of the loony bin. He was wearing what he normally did (A/N: whatever that is, I can't think at the moment) while carrying a bag with the comic book store logo on it, showing the world that he had made a purchase.

"Joey!" Yugi yelled back in greeting, and Ryou looked back just in time to see the Shorty waving back at the other blond.

"Heya, Yuge!" Joey, after glancing side to side down the street to make sure there was no oncoming traffic, raced across the street towards the group, just grinning up a storm. "How are ya, bud? Haven't seen any of y'all in ages!" He exclaimed right as he reached them. He grabbed little Yugi into a head lock, rubbing the flailing teen's head affectionately. "What have y'all been up to, huh?"

"Trying to stay away from you," Ryou heard his boyfriend mutter, causing the nicer of the two to shoot a warning glare towards him. "Be nice," Ryou hissed only loud enough for the other silver-head to hear as Joey continued to mess with Yugi. Bakura merely glared back at him, then he sharply looked away, finally letting Ryou's elbow go.

With a sigh, Ryou looked back at the other three and tried for a smile. "'Allo, Joey," he greeted as the tall blond finally let the struggling Yugi go. The silver-haired teen chuckled at the sight of flustered Yugi hitting the taller boy's chest a couple times in slight anger. "How've you been?"

"Great, Roy! Been pretty damn busy, as a matter of fact!" Joey remarked, grinning when a slight blush dusted the pale boys cheeks. (A/N: Kairi… mwa-hahaha! :D)

"'Roy'?" Ryou questioned, raising a brow at the strange nickname.

"Dude. It's a western name. I saw it written the other day, and it looked awesome. I figured your name and 'Roy' are so similar that it'd be a perfect nickname for ya!" Joey grinned victoriously, pumping the air with a fist as he ruffled Yugi's hair teasingly. Yugi puffed out in a sulking way and glanced off to the side, crossing his arms against his chest and sagging some in posture. He was like a pouting puppy—it was so cute.

"Don't be ridiculous." Bakura bit out, glaring at Joey with a sneer twisting his lips. "That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard you say before. Imbecile."

"Oi, no need to be such an asshole," Joey growled, glaring back at the silver-haired teen angrily. "It's just a name."

Ryou shrugged, looking at Bakura with a reconciled look. "I don't mind, I suppose," He said, shrugging indifferently. "Joey is right; it's just a name." And he looked back at the tall blond and smiled small. "I don't mind you calling me it."

"See? I told you, dumbass." Joey smirked smugly, looking towards Bakura in such a haughty way, yet froze to the spot when they heard a familiar voice.

"Trying to run away again, Puppy? Do you honestly think you can just run off like that without letting me answer?" They all looked in the direction that Joey had come from and, surprisingly, found Kaiba Seto walking towards them in all his glory and snooty-ness blah. He was smirking and looking directly at the stiff blond, not at all saving the time to greet any of the others in the group.

In the background, Ryou heard Yugi mutter "Puppy?" questioningly. It had caught Ryou's attention as well and confused him greatly. He knew that Kaiba called Joey mutt for a seriously ridiculous reason such as that Kaiba's' superiority complex made him see himself as Joey's master while Joey himself was the dog. That and.. Well, Joey's family was kind of poor and he wasn't living in the best of conditions whereas Kaiba was living it big and rich. Soo.. Yeah, that's where Kaiba gets Joey being called 'mutt' all the time. It was normal cruelty by Kaiba.

But Puppy? Where did that come from?

"I didn't ask you anything, bastard, so there was nothing for you to answer." Ryou looked back at Joey just in time to see the blond blushing like mad, an angry little scowl on his face. Was he embarrassed? "Why the hell do you keep following me everywhere? Stalker!" He pointed a finger accusingly at the brunette, glaring for all he was worth.

"Weren't you the one who said I should follow my-." Before Kaiba could finish his sentence, a blond blur rushed up to him and Joey smacked his hands over the brunette's mouth to keep him from saying anything further.

"I didn't say that! Shut up, you bastard!" Joey hissed at the older teen, glaring harshly at him with daggers in his eyes. "No way in hell did I mean me when I was-you know-whatever! Geez! Just keep it to yourself, will ya?"

Kaiba's eyes danced as he watched the blond in front of him and he raised his hands up to the ones over his mouth, gripping them. Joey cursed at the contact and tried to pull away, but Kaiba had him and wasn't planning on letting go. He pulled Joey's hands down to his chest, smirking at the blond and he said," Are you that afraid of what I might say to you? Are you in denial, Puppy?"

And there was that 'puppy' remark again… Interesting…

Joey's face reddened and his blush went all the way up to his ears. "Don't call me that!" He shouted, struggling fruitlessly at trying to pull his hands out of Kaiba's.

"When had this become a soap opera?" Bakura's snappish voice broke through the weirdness of it all and snapped Ryou back to reality. He'd been trying so hard to analyze what was going on that he forgot what they were on their way to do. He looked at Bakura and found him staring back at him with a foul look on his face. "Can we get going already and leave these two lovebirds to their own entertainment?"

"We're not l-lovebirds, dammit!" Joey all but shouted out in anger, stammering over the word 'love' with some difficulty. If possible, his face grew even redder. It would be no surprise if his whole body was red, just like a lobster. "God-dammit-Seto! Let-me-go-already!" He struggled harder to escape, but Kaiba merely opened his hands easily, allowing the blond to jump away and run to the safety of hiding behind his short friend, Yugi, who looked extremely confused at everything that was going on.

So, something was obviously going on. Ryou glanced back at a pleased-looking Kaiba, then back at an angry Joey, slightly perplexed. From his own assumptions, he guessed that Kaiba was trying to… Be an item with Joey? Holy macaroni, that sounded odd! Kaiba and Joey. Joey and Kaiba. Errrgh. Ryou rubbed his forehead. It was difficult to see them, well, together. But Joey was so evidently against the idea by the way he was acting, so Kaiba was the one insinuating the whole thing. Which was even odder considering that the brunette was the most unsocial guy in their class. What made him change his stoic-ness to go after Joey of all people?

"We're going on a picnic." Ryou blurted out and all five pairs of eyes moved to look at him, causing him to gulp back nervously. He wanted to know what was going on, so why not ask the two to join them? It wasn't like they didn't have enough food to share. "Would you, Joey, Kaiba, care to join us?"

Joey's eyes brightened up considerably at the offer, momentarily making him forget what was going on. "Free food? Hanging out with you guys? Hell yeah! Count me in!" The blond exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air as he came out some from behind Yugi.

"I wouldn't want to be caught hanging out with you dweebs…" All eyes glued themselves to Kaiba, and they watched the way his onyx eyes glanced towards Joey. "…However, I think I shall accompany you." He'd gone back to his snooty way, but he clearly wanted to spend more time with the blond.

"What? Aw, _hell_ naw! You can't!" Joey exclaimed in panic, glaring heatedly at the brunette.

"And why ever not, Puppy?" Kaiba smirked.

"_Quit_ _calling_ _me_ _that_! And, b-because I said so!" Joey yelled, stomping his foot like a girl, his hands formed into fists down at his sides.

"Ryou." Kaiba turned his gaze back to him, his eyes still dancing with a wicked, sadistic look and a smirk still playing with his lips. "I might have assumed wrong, but did you not also include me in that invitation to your picnic?"

It might have been a bit like stabbing Joey in the back, but Ryou shrugged and said," yes, I was including you, Kaiba." 'But only to figure out what the heck is going on,' he added as an afterthought in the safety in his own mind.

There was a loud sound of protest from Joey, a smirk from a silently satisfied Kaiba, and then they were off, back on their trek to the park with an extra two people. Joey walked between Yugi and Yami so that Kaiba couldn't grab his hand, but it didn't really matter any because the brunette had the nerve to walk _behind_ the blond, taking in the views… of Joey's ass, no doubts.

Ryou, now walking alongside of Bakura and both leadin the others, couldn't help but feel a little triumphant smile curving his lips. He couldn't wait to figure out what was going on with the two new-comers to the group. It might sound kind of bad in a way, but he liked staying at the top of things, to know what was going. Not so he could gossip, gosh no, but to have that feeling of understanding. You know?

"So, Yuge!" And there was Joey, his nervous tone making Ryou expect that Kaiba was staring too hard down yonder at Joey's backside. Geez..

"Uhm, y-yeah, Joey?"

"Are you still gonna be able to come with me to the arcade tomorrow?"

"I want to, but, ah, I think Grandpa was needing me to.. Look after the shop while he's at the doctor's…" Yugi answered, fidgeting by the sounds of it.

"Whaat? Why's Gramps goin' to the doc's for? He okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. He just needs a check up."

"Hope it goes well for the ol' man."

"Same here-."

"Yugi." Yami's voice came into the picture and Ryou glanced over his shoulder in a way so that it wasn't obvious he was looking at them while they all continued to walk. Yami held annoyance in his expression, but it wasn't directed at Yugi. Yet, that didn't seem to be known with Yugi. The Shorty looked panicked for a moment, looking at his dark with wide eyes, his shoulders scrunching in a bit as if he was getting ready to be reprimanded.

"Y-yes, Yami?" Yugi answered, sounding tentative and cautious with his words.

"Go with Joey to the arcade. I'll watch the shop for you."

"Oh." Yugi blinked in surprise and then a small smile curved his lips as his eyes started to brighten up a bit. "Really? Are you sure, Yami? I don't mind staying-."

"I already said you can go, Yugi. Quit trying to dissuade me." Yami snapped, rolling his eyes and looking off to the store windows they were passing on his right.

Yugi snapped his mouth shut and Ryou winced at Yami's snappish tone. He watched as Yugi's shoulders sag and his gaze fall down to the ground, falling into silence for a moment. He whispered," okay, Yami. Thank you…"

Ryou glanced at Joey to see that even he looked uncomfortable, glancing between the two Mutou's with concern, mouth parted for a moment and then closing quite reluctantly. Yugi looked dejected, so it was hard to say anything to him.

Looking back up ahead as he walked, Ryou allowed himself to wince once more, slightly shaking his head. Yeah… Yami was definitely trying much too hard…

_TBC_

A/N: Another short chapter. owo

I figured it was an okay way to stop things for a moment. xD

Hope you're enjoying it so far! :D!

What do y'all think of the Joey/Kaiba predicament so far? owo hehe


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Third chappie! :D! Yay! xD

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Yugi... Oh, gosh, who am I kidding? Of course I don't Yugi or any of these other awesome as heck characters! x'D

**Warning**: YAOI, meaning menxmen and such, BakuraxYugi and YamixRyou, language, mature intent, OCC-ness (personalities are backwards! Lights and Darks' personalities are reversed and such-ish!)

Surviving With You

Sometimes, it was hard being him. Yugi couldn't get things to go the way he wanted, couldn't try to not be clumsy, and he couldn't stand up for himself right off the bat. He was a bit slow to the upcoming, but that didn't mean he _couldn't_ take care of himself. He wished he could better himself, to show himself up to Yami, but Yami always seemed to brush it off. Was he, Yugi, a disappointment? Was he not worth the acknowledgement from the all amazing Yami? Was he… troublesome? A burden? Because, that's exactly how Yugi felt now.

_"Go with Joey to the arcade. I'll watch the shop for you."_

It was such a nice offer. It was extremely generous of Yami, but…

_"I already said you can go, Yugi. Quit trying to dissuade me."_

…He made it sound as if Yugi was only trouble if he stayed at the shop…

Was he only a problem to Yami? Was he a burden to the guy? Maybe it was because of…

Yugi shook his head. Even if it _was_ because of _that _there was nothing he could do about it now. That was months ago. Nothing he did could possibly change what he'd done wrong then. He was such a screw up. A clumsy fool. If nothing else, that was probably why Yami was distant with him as of recently. Things were just too awkward now.

"Oi, Yuge!"

Snapping out from his reverie, Yugi looked to his right at his best friend to find the tall blond looking back at him. "Y-yeah, Joey?" Crap, again with the stammering? What was with him?

"Look!" And Joey pointed straight ahead of them, over Bakura's and Ryou's shoulders.

Yugi followed his friend's pointing finger and then let a small smile light up his face. The beginning of the park and the surrounding forest trees were finally in sight. He always loved their park. It was a beautiful sight to see. And Joey knew this. The taller blond liked to see him happy and if, by pointing out what he liked best helped, he knew Joey would do it.

"Ah! That's great!" Yugi happily exclaimed, smiling back at his blond friend.

"Race ya!"

"Wha-huh?" Yugi watched in amazement as Joey swooshed past him, sprinting up ahead of them towards the park. For a moment, Yugi gaped. Then he cried out," That's not fair, Joey! You cheated!" And he raced after his friend without a second thought.

Behind him, he faintly heard Yami shout out," Be careful, Yugi!" His shout was said in such annoyance he nearly hesitated. But he shrugged it off. He was having fun. Yami could just deal with it this one time. And he continued to run off, chasing his blond friend through the trees and across brilliant green grass. Everything was just so beautiful during the summer. Winter was always wonderful too, but to watch butterflies flutter past you and to see people taking leisurely walks through the park was just as great, if not more awesome.

"Ne, you're too slow, Yuge! Gotta do better than that, Bud!" He heard Joey shout over his shoulder, still some distance ahead of him.

"Grr, just you wait, Joey! I'll get you!" Yugi shouted back, quickening his pace as best as he could, and pushing himself harder. He was nearly there to Joey. Ten feet… Seven feet… Four feet…

"Too slow, Yuuuge-! WHOA!" Yugi caught his friend's shirt at the back and together they fell head over heels into a huge heap on the ground, squashing the grass beneath them.

Yugi had landed on top as victor and he smiled smugly down at his friend as he sat up, placing his hands on the other male's chest to brace himself. "Ha! See? Told ya I'd get'cha! Mwa-hahahaha!" He grinned widely as Joey began to sputter over excuses, now red in the face from defeat.

"Y-yah, well, I-I let you win!" Joey muttered.

They looked at each other, both silent for a moment, then, together, started laughing out loud from the silliness of Joey's statement. And it had been the perfect moment until…

"Yugi! What do you think you're doing?" …Yami's angered voice cut through the moment like a knife right to the gut.

Perking up and looking over his shoulder at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, Yugi found that the group had finally caught up to them. Yet, Yami was in the lead, stalking to where Yugi and Joey were with a thunderous look on his face. Shrinking back a bit, Yugi glanced back at Joey and realized the position the two were in. From their view, it was completely harmless-it was just them playing around. But from another view? It was quite insinuating. Especially when in the view of an angry, jealous boyfriend.

Or so he thought.

"Y-Yami! Uhm, this is-," Yugi tried to say, but Yami cut him off as the group approached them.

"What was with you two running off, huh?" Yami demanded and he walked straight up to them, grabbing Yugi's bicep to pull him up to his feet. He yanked him away from standing over Joey and off to the side, then Yami began to look the shorter male over, looking for possible injuries with a sharp gaze, brows furrowed way down. "Did you hurt yourself? Fuck, Yugi, you need to be more careful!" He exclaimed, spotting a tiny scrape on the other male's arm.

Yugi stared blankly at his boyfriend, his mind swept clean of any thought. He let the taller teen look him over without comment or complaint, glancing to the side briefly when Joey was getting up to his feet next to them. Then he looked back at Yami quite vacantly. It wasn't that he was disappointed that Yami hadn't been affected by the sight of his and Joey's position-everyone knew that they were best friends, after all, but did Yami feel nothing? Did he not feel a twinge of jealousy at the promising position? Surely he had, hadn't he? Cripes! Yugi scrunched his face up in disgust of himself and looked away from his boyfriend, scowling down at the green grass all around them. He hated these doubts in his heart, but what was he to do otherwise? Yami never seemed to… Oh, whatever! It didn't matter either way.

"I'm fine, Yami. Just a scrape." The shorter of the two muttered, pulling his arm away at the same time he turned to face his other friends, faking a smile for them so that he didn't show his suffering. "Alright!" He shot his hands up in the air in his bout of 'excitement'. "Let's start eating, shall we? This is a good place as any, right?" He wondered, trying hard to ignore the sight of Yami scowling at him from the corner of his eye.

Ryou, bless his sweet soul, immediately agreed while smiling. "Yes, it's perfect, Yugi," He softly replied. "Let's move closer to the tree, though, to be under the shade where it's cooler." Without a word of disapproval, the group shuffled over to be beneath the tree, then they all sat down in a sort of circle. That's when Yugi noticed that Bakura was the one with the basket now. Which was strange-hadn't Yami been carrying it not moments ago? Yugi glanced towards his boyfriend in wonder, then quickly looked away when he found the other male still scowling at him somewhat. 'I suppose he gave it to Bakura when I ran off,' Yugi thought to himself, settling down between Joey and Ryou so that he wasn't in too close of contact with Yami. 'I guess he's gonna blame me for that, too? Though, I don't see why he would, it's just a basket for crying out loud…'

"So how's it going, Roy? Haven't seen y'all all in a while." Joey started as Bakura started to rummage through the basket, everyone watching the silver-head as he did.

"Haven't we been through this already?" Bakura grumbled, hands deep in the basket.

Everyone ignored him as Ryou answered Joey with:" It's been going well, Joey. All I've been doing, really, is lazing about." He chuckled and glanced at Yugi, smiling. "Yugi and I have also been trying to finish our summer homework." He looked back at Joey, still smiling. "How have you been, Joey? Earlier you said you've been busy? What have you been up to?"

"Homework?" Startled, Joey perked up and eyed Ryou skeptically. "What homework? I didn't know we had homework!" He turned to Yugi with that same skeptical look of his and said," He's just yankin' my chain, righ', Yuge? We don't got homework, do we?"

Yugi gave him a sympathetic look, smiling meekly. "Sorry, Joey, but he's right. English, remember? I think you fell asleep when the teacher was talking to us about it."

"Aw, maaan!" Joey's face scrunched up as he yanked at his blond locks, stressed by the news. "Not cool! How the—why the hell does she think anyone is gonna actually remember crap like this when it's summer? Dammit!"

"I could always help you. I've already finished," Kaiba answered, but without his usual smugness. Joey looked over at him in slight shock and found that the brunette was looking quite serious over his offer.

"Oh, err…" Joey grinned timidly, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced sideways at Yugi, plea in his eyes. Yugi blinked wide-eyed back at him, not understanding what it was he wanted, though he, too, was confused and shocked by Kaiba's generous offer. The guy was normally too much of an asshole to do anything nice for others. It was perplexing when he actually offered something-especially since this was Joey we were talking about. "Gee, Kaiba, I dunno…"

"Oh, Joey, why not?" Yugi quietly asked, looking at his friend with sympathy. He didn't know why he was saying this, but the sudden light going out in Kaiba's eyes made Yugi want to help the brunet. Something was telling him that Kaiba wanted to do this. "He's got top marks in English, right? If he helps you out, then maybe you, too, can get high marks. Plus, wouldn't that mean you have more time to play at the arcade?" Everyone looked at Yugi like he was stir crazy, but Kaiba, no matter how strange it was, actually smiled at the tri-colored haired teen. Yugi smiled hesitantly back before looking at Joey who'd begun to stammer.

"W-well, I-I guess, but y-ya know it's not all that… Er, I mean… ," Joey trailed off just in time to get a face full of sandwich. Everyone looked in the direction it'd been thrown from to see Bakura pulling out another sandwich from the basket, looking quite indifferent even after having thrown the packaged food. When he caught everyone's stares, he scowled and shrugged noncommittally.

"Are we gonna eat or what? I'm tired of listening to him mumble his unimpressive babble when we could be eating," He said with just the slightest hint of defense while unwrapping his sandwich of peanut butter and sliced bananas.

"You-!" Joey shook a fist at him with anger in his eyes, but the he realized he was saved. He wouldn't have to answer Kaiba! Perfect! Joey reached over and grabbed a peanut butter sandwich as well, trying to hide a triumphant smile as he muttered," He's right. Let's eat!"

Kaiba's expression turned to his normal look of indifference, but, watching his eyes follow Joey's movements, Yugo presumed that Kaiba had really expected an answer. The poor guy was left hanging and Yugi found himself pitying the brunet. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but Yugi felt the need to help Kaiba out, even if just to cheer him up a bit.

"You know, Kaiba," Yugi started somewhat hesitantly, setting down his sandwich. He watched the older teen reluctantly tear his eyes away from the blond of the group to look at the shortest and, once having his attention, Yugi smiled small. "I heard that Mokuba has a new puppy. What's its name?"

Glancing briefly back at Joey one more time, Kaiba gave up on him for the time being and stuck his attention on Yugi, his eyes showing indifference. "Fido." He said dully.

There were some laughs amongst the group and even Yugi smiled some, his head tilting in interest. "Fido? Why that name?" He politely asked, just as curious as a newborn baby.

Kaiba shrugged barely, snorting. "He's been reading some American novels as of late. His logic is strange at times."

"Mokuba is a good kid." Yugi cheerfully replied, smiling sweetly. Kaiba merely nodded. It was the end of the rather short conversation, but at least he'd gotten the taller guy to speak. That all in itself was an accomplishment. Especially considering the brunet had not used an ounce of snooty-ness or anything of the likes.

The group ate their lunches that had been made by Yugi and Ryou and it was just as they were finishing up when a bell was heard. The group of guys looked up to find a man riding a bike pulling an ice cream freezer with little pictures of what he had stickered to the sides. Joey's face brightened up at the sight, same as Ryou and Yugi. They all looked at each other and cheered," ice cream!"

Yugi glanced at Kaiba with an excited smile and saw how Kaiba smiled at the sight of Joey smiling. An idea popped up in his head that made Yugi jump up to his feet all the while grabbing Kaiba's hand. "Come, Kaiba! Let's go buy ice cream for everybody! Help me carry them, okay?" He said as his excuse as he tugged the taller guy after him.

"Be careful, Yugi!" He heard Yami warn him as they broke from the group.

"Yeah, yeah," Yugi muttered in impatiently, but, for the most part, ignored his partner. When they were partially a ways off from the rest, Yugi let Kaiba's arm go and looked up at him, finding the guy glaring intensely down at him. Yugi shoved away the urge to 'eep' at the face of certain death and grinned nervously at him. "S-sorry! I wanted to ask you something!" He quickly said to the guy as an explanation for his actions.

"I figured as much." The man evenly replied, looking just as impatient as Yugi had been with Yami. "What do you want?"

"It's about Joey…"

"What about him?" If he had been any lower, Kaiba would have perked up like a love-struck fool, but it was in his eyes and Yugi felt reassured and slightly smug. Kaiba had it and had it bad, it seemed.

"I was wondering…" Yugi trailed off as the man with the ice cream came riding up to them and stopping. Kaiba made an impatient noise however as if he didn't care if they were heard and so Yugi continued as they waited as the man cooled down for a moment. "It seems as if it's so sudden that he's caught your eye… Why're you chasing him now? What changed your opinion?"

Kaiba eyed Yugi for a moment, then looked away, off towards where their group was sitting. "I ran into him a week ago at the super market…" He started off slowly, probably considering if he should really confide with the shorter male. After a moment of silence, he glanced back at Yugi. "I honestly don't remember what we started arguing about, to be truthful." He sighed, rolling his eyes. "But things were said and I suppose I said something harsh and he said I was a cold-hearted bastard. Then he went on about needing to get laid. Before I could even make a remark of NOT needing to get laid, he doubled back and said differently that I needed to find my light." At the sight of Yugi raising a brow at him, Kaiba shrugged. "I don't know. That's why I asked him what he meant. He said that I needed to find someone that will light up my world. Probably warm my "frozen heart"." He snorted.

Yugi blinked in absolute shock at the un-Kaiba-like noise, then glanced towards their friends, somewhat perplexed. Kaiba was laughing… Because of Joey? Had the blond reached that deeply into Kaiba's heart with just mere words?

"He also said…" Yugi looked back at Kaiba as the guy continued to talk, giving his full attention to the male. "That if I found this light, then I wouldn't be such a dick anymore. Well, I put his words to heart for some reason and started to look. I went out again the next day to the mall and it's like the idiot was following me. I ran into him again… And then again at the Starbucks down the street. Then another time on my way to the library… And again at the pet store when I was out getting Mokuba some more dog treats for Fido. And it made me realize…" Kaiba sighed and looked down into the freezer of the ice cream on wheels. "Joey is so bright, both in personality and the way that he dresses… He always catches my attention first thing every time we're in class… He's… Joey is my light."

Yugi was amazed at how many times the two had run into each other. Had it all just been coincidence though? What a crazy thing! But then Kaiba's last words really did him in. He nearly fell over from the shock, having to grab the freezer machine to keep his balance. He stared at the brunet. "Wh-what?" He stammered, once more glancing at Joey. "I-I dunno, Kaiba… Don't you think that all those times were just a coincidence? I mean, I'm sure that Joey wasn't implying himself as a possible candidate to be your 'light', you know…"

"Oh, I know he wasn't intending to be put into the equation."

"Then why…?" Yugi looked at him with much confusion, slowly shaking his head while Kaiba reached into the freezer, pulling out six red, white, and blue popsicles out that had pre-packaged wrappers on them.

The brunet smirked. It was eerie. It was mischievous. Something that just didn't look right on Kaiba's face. But only because it was downright scary. "I had a dream about him…"

"Oh…"

"A very explicit dream, I might add."

"What?" A blush appeared on Yugi's face as he looked at Kaiba. He didn't mean… did he?

As if reading his mind, Kaiba nodded all the while paying the ice cream man the money that was owed. His look scared the man off quickly. Kaiba was smirking a bit more wickedly than before. "Yes, Yugi. _Those_ kinds of dreams. And I've got quite a few theories that I have learned through those dreams. Interesting theories. For example, Joey might like being licked and nipped behind his ears. But not only that – I would like to see the blond tremble beneath me as I-."

"Alright! Okay! Uhm, T-M-I, yeah? I get it. I really do. You want Joey. Joey's your only "light" in your world. Gotcha." Yugi quickly agreed, not wanting to hear any more disturbing 'theories'. Not about his best friend. Never. He was already scarred just by hearing a partial one... Joey's ears… Yugi shivered. He was too innocent for this!

"So you will help?" Yugi looked up and found Kaiba raising a brow at him questioningly.

Cocking his head, Yugi hesitated. "…Help? With what?"

A smirk twisted Kaiba's lips. Yugi had a bad feeling. "Catch my Puppy, of course."

…Yup. Bad feeling twisting in his stomach.

Yugi stared at the guy like he was crazy, slowly becoming nervous. He grabbed the popsicles from the brunet's hands and started to lead their way back to the group, if only to get away from the question. "Well…"

"You said you understood, did you not? Don't you want me to be happy?" He frowned in his sad, Kaiba-like way and the guilt started to eat at Yugi's insides. Something must have shown to give Kaiba a heads up on such, for his smirk returned with vigor and a devious glint appeared in his eyes. He was planning something, and it couldn't be good.

"Uh… Well…" Yugi averted his eyes, jaw clenching. Damn his guilty conscious. Why was he such a good friend?

"I mean… If I can't get Joey… If I can't have him… Or see what I see, then I suppose I might have to confide in you a lot more often. I do happen to have a lot of dreams, after all."

Yugi quickly looked back at Kaiba and the strange, perverted look on Kaiba's face was all it took.

The short male all but whole-heartedly agreed with a nod of his head as they finally reached their friends once again.

_TBC_

A/N: Sorry for being a bit late. :3 Been a bit stressed and all.

How was it? Starting to get a bit more interesting? Sorry if I bored y'all!

Until next time then!

Ciao!


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